Harem Claiming

While the mated groups of the Waheya known as 'harems' do not have a true metaphysical, spiritual, or otherwise bond between them, it is traditional for the act of claiming a male Waheya for a harem to be recognised via a specific ceremony. Without such a ceremony being completed in its entirety, a male is not considered by Waheyan society to be part of a La'mya's harem, merely a male that may have been temporarily granted favour.
Females are the ultimate power in Waheyan society, as such the act of claiming lies almost entirely in female hands. All female Waheya are La'mya, while male Waheya may be Et'war, S'dare, T'vesa or rarely La'mya themselves. These roles are strictly bound in Waheyan society and form a vital part of the claiming ceremony.

Execution

A claiming can only go ahead with the clear, express will of a La'mya. No matter how pushy or stubborn a male is, it is a La'mya that does the claiming. A member of the harem, or a soon to be member, prepares the ahuite mixture. Traditionally, a La'mya will then bleed each male she chooses herself, although technically that is merely one step, and if a male is not subsequently marked, bleeding into the ahuite does not constitute a claiming. 
Each role of Waheyan society is represented by a single symbol in the Waheyan written language. With the blood and ahuite mixture (which is also merely called 'ahuite' it is not differentiated in the Waheyan language), a La'mya will then paint the symbol representing the La'mya as well as their chosen male's role with their own fingers, in ahuite, onto the male's body. Each claimed male will have the symbol for La'mya drawn in the centre of their foreheads, representing that they have been claimed mind, body, and soul, by their La'mya. And demonstrating for the entire tribe to see that they now belong to a La'mya and no longer to the tribe. Et'war must also have their symbol drawn onto their throat, S'dare onto the tops of both of their shoulders, and T'vesa on the back of a Waheya warrior's second set of hands.
It is the marking in ahuite that confirms the claiming, and males often leave the ahuite until it is washed away naturally by the moist environ of Tantsuy, rather than washing it clean themselves. While ahuite is all that is required, it is typical for a bond to be solidified with sex, although is not strictly required to be recognised in society.

Components and tools

The most important component, other than the La'mya and the chosen males, is ahuite, a rare, blue berry that is one of the few foodstuffs cultivated via farming in Waheyan villages. Ahuite along with a variety of other plant material that are chosen to represent vitality or virility in a harem group, are mashed into a blue paste. Each participant will then add their own blood to the mixture, forming a dark purple mixture that a La'mya will use to claim their chosen males.

Participants

While a claiming ceremony must at minimum, have one La'mya and one other non-La'mya Waheyan males, there is no maximum number of males that are able to be claimed at one time. It would be considered poor form by the community to claim a vast majority of healthy males or to claim more males than one could feasibly give attention to all at once. More often than not, the number of males claimed in one ceremony is between 1-5. 
In the Waheyan tribal group known as Laresi, one of three tribal groups remaining, the Enda'ka or Matriarch of their tribe, Kyarek, currently has 20 males in her harem, although she has collected them over a period of fifteen or so years. This is mostly due to the population pressure on their society. There are close to 300 members in the Laresi tribe, of which there are only five females. The recent addition of ten human women to the tribe, rescued from a crashed Jy-hg spaceship on their way to be sold as slaves, is sure to cause an upset amongst the Laresi tribe.

Primary Related Location

Tantsuy